Here’s a full page ad that is running in today’s Detroit News sports section:
As to the fans, while I may no longer be a Tiger, I want you all to know that all your support, cheers and good wishes over the years were greatly appreciated and will always be with me. To the Tigers, I thank you for giving me an opportunity to live my dream as a professional ball player. I can’t thank the fans and the organization enough for all your support during my career in Detroit. Thanks and keep the faith
-Bobby Higginson #4
It’s a nice gesture and classy move towards a city that hasn’t treated him so well the last few years. Higginson went from a blue collar fan favorite up through 2000 (Darren McCarty on a baseball field) to a scapegoat for all the teams problems since then.
From the start of his career through the 2000 season, Higginson hit 291/367/489 line with 134 homers. In 1996 he posted an OPS+ of 146 (for those unfamiliar with OPS+ essentially his season was 46% better than average – a significant amount). He followed that up with seasons of OPS+ of 133 and 114 before struggling through an injury plagued season in 1999.
In 2000, which coincided with his free agent contract year, he rebounded for an OPS+ of 132. In the process he hit some of those magical seasonal milestones – .300 batting average, 30 homers, and 100 RBI. Bobby cashed in and signed a 4 year $40 million contract with a no trade clause so he could stay in the Detroit. He built a house in Detroit, and for quite awhile was the only Tiger to live in Detroit year-round.
The story was going perfect. A hard working Detroit athlete that embraced the city looked like he’d finish his career here. The team was coming off a relatively strong season, and were set to take the next step forward – especially after clubhouse cancer Juan Gonzalez was gone. But things didn’t go according to plan.
In 2001 the team regressed to 66 wins, and Higginson’s performance slid to an OPS+ of 116. It was a decent season, but the .277 average, 17 homers and 71 RBI weren’t the All Star numbers that were expected just weren’t there. More tough seasons the next couple years for the team and Higginson left a lot of people frustrated. As the highest paid player on a bad team, Higginson was an easy target. The fact that he was plagued by injuries did nothing to alleviate the criticism. He drew even more ire from the fans when he asked for a trade – but was unwilling to renegotiate his contract to facilitate a move.
The result is that today is the day many fans had circled on their calendars as a day of rejoicing because Higginson’s salary would come off the payroll. Since signing the contract, Higginson has hit 258/345/402 and 53 homers in 513 games.
Higginson’s career is most likely over. He has stated that he’d like to play for a contender, but I’m not sure what contender would want to pick up somebody with Higginson’s production who didn’t really play this season.
So it’s time to close the books on Higginson in Detroit. His career numbers as a Tiger: 272/358/455, 187 homers, 709 RBI, and 123 outfield assists. Higginson brought some of the ire on himself, but his biggest fault was being unable to live up to his contract. While he deserved criticism, he endured way more than he should have had to. It’s just a shame that he will be remembered more for his contract than he will for his contributions to the Tigers.
Good luck Bobby.
Thanks Bobby. Even tho you always gave me the stink-eye when I cheered for you in Seattle every year.
I have to agree, that is one classy thing for him to do. I have to disagree about his career being over, though. I think he would do well to have a chat with his old buddies Tony Clark and Damion Easley… And for that matter, Todd Jones and Brian Moehler… Lots of Tigers from those era teams are popping up on rosters of teams that appeared to be struggling, but suddenly have some life in them.
As someone who hasn’t been all that nice to Higgy these last few years, I give him credit for this. Very classy move on his part.
Now on to other news. Tram got the boot!
There’s no doubt that this is a classy move, but it’s impossible to tell if it’s even sincere.
He was obviously the pride and joy of this team for a number of years, but I don’t think he’s completely innocent when it comes to his transition to being a scapegoat. His reputation as a partier (Who knows how true any of it is) combined with the sudden drop off in production upon cashing his check should make it hard for anyone to think he continued to give his best effort.
He was given a chance to prove himself here. When he did, he was paid very fairly. He continued to get starts even after several lackluster seasons. This town owes him nothing.
I have partied with Bobby many times at the strip club. Man can he put down some lines.
I agree with billfer about his comments about Higgy. He may not have done so well at the plate the last couple of seasons, but he was the scape goat for so long. He could have told the Tigers to kiss it a long time ago, but he didn’t. People always jump to what he made and how he played the last couple of seasons, but they don’t think about the details in the middle. People are so easy to jump to conclusions and say things that they don’t know much about. Could he have hit better lately? Of course. But the Tigers could have treated him better, too. It’s so easy to put the blame on someone else, like Trammell is getting the blame for the team sucking. It has sucked for so long. How about a bullpen, Dombrowski, so we can stay in those close games? People need to stop blaming others for what a team is doing, because everyone who is a part of that team is just as responsible as the next one. Why was Higgy the one getting the blame for so many years of sucking? WHo got the blame before he was on the team?
Bobby has shown more class than many ‘stars’ who have played in Detroit. Everyone is on him because of the money he made. It’s not his fault he made that much. Management said yes to the negotiations. I have talked with Bobby a number of times and he is not the person that he is made out to be in the press and on the talk shows. Perhaps some people have received the ‘wrath of Bobby’ but they, for the most part, have deserved it. It is sad to see the number of people (adults mostly) who hound him day after day for autographs and pictures while he is in the dugout getting ready for a game. These are the same people every day. There is a way to approach people and a way not to. I think Bobby was very calm under a lot of stressful situations and he was chastised for things that were perceived as being negative. I think the Tigers need more players like Bobby who will spend the time to work on how to play the game the right way. The Tigers will miss his intensity. We will miss him.